Hannah Holt

Chapter Seven – Tearful Confrontations

Cool to be a Fool

"I still can't believe it's been this long..." Hermione leaned over the railing, her hair blowing behind her. Ron was looking out at the ocean, as was she.

"So many years..." There was silence. "We've both changed so much." Ron concluded, feeling the cold wind whip his face. It sure was chilly to be so warm during the day.

"Have you ever... thought about me, since, you know..." Hermione asked cautiously, hesitantly.

Ron closed his eyes and debated on telling her the truth, thinking about her night and day for the last three years. It had been the hardest three years of his life, but no one around him seemed to notice.

"Mione, what kind of question is that?" Ron couldn't bear to look at her, just kept staring out into the dark even though he could feel Hermione's heated glance on his face.

"I just thought..." Hermione's voice drifted out. Ron winced. She sounded really really... hurt.

"What's to say you've thought about me at all?" Ron looked at her almost in a mean scowl and Hermione's face softened. She felt horrible for even asking. After all these years, to think he even still thought about her. She felt stupid, incredibly stupid.

"Ron, you know the answer to that question," Hermione said, tears filling her eyes.

"You're the one that left me, remember?" Ron said rather harshly.

"But there was a good reason..." Hermione tried to fight back her tears, but she couldn't and she felt the warm water hit her cheek making her feel even more pain. She looked out into the water, hoping Ron wouldn't notice.

"A good enough to reason to leave while you were pregnant with my child?" Ron had to whisper violently to keep from screaming and Hermione continued to cry.

"Ron, you didn't want me to even have the baby! When you found out I'd confronted Fred... your family about the whole thing, you hit me!" Hermione still couldn't bear to look at him or notice the tears that were now forming in his eyes.

"Hermione, I don't know how many times I've wanted or tried to apologize about that for... you know I have anger management issues, just ask Harry!"

"Enough to hit me?" Hermione's voice was growing louder as she became angrier, remembering the night long ago.

"I told them, Ron, I had to... I couldn't walk around living a lie anymore... Wearing that ring around my finger, seeing his smiling face every morning at me like I was the best thing that ever happened to him... I felt horrible," Hermione cried as she sat on the end of her bed, face buried in her hands.

"YOU TOLD THEM?" Ron shouted, turning around to face Hermione. She nodded, still sobbing and Ron didn't know he hit her until he heard her cry out as the sound of his hand resounded through the bedroom. There was deadly silence. Hermione was too shocked to cry. Ron was too shocked to move. Hermione stood, staring him straight in the face before moving past him to the dresser, she started throwing her clothes onto the bed and pulled out her suitcase from the closet.

"Mione, I'm sorry... I don't know what happened," Ron said, standing in the same spot watching Hermione shove her clothes into the suitcase and finally resort to magic to put her different assortments into the bag.

"You know damn well what happened. I cannot stay here, Ronald. Have a nice life." Hermione grabbed her suitcase and disappeared in an instance, leaving Ron gaping in the middle of the now very empty bedroom.

"You know I'm sorry, Mione..." Ron reached out to touch her hand, still hanging over the railing carelessly. He watched her cry and she flinched as his skin touched hers. "I didn't want it to end up that way..."

"But it did. And this, this is not supposed to happen," She said quietly gesturing towards their touching hands. "It didn't work out the first or second time and it's not going to work now." She pulled her hand away to wipe away her tears.

"Hermione, please, just listen to me," Ron's hand gently touched Hermione's cheek and he felt her bottom lip quiver from the crying. "Please?" He looked at her earnestly, genuinely. Hermione melted.

"Don't do this to me again, Ron," Hermione pleaded.

"Just give me a chance, Mione," Ron argued.

"I already have - twice!" Hermione looked away again. She knew she would give in and it was killing her.

"Third time's a charm?" Ron smiled as he saw Hermione's frown turn into an almost well-hidden grin. "I can see that."

"See what?" She said, fighting the grin that was spreading across her face.

"That smile you always get when I know it's going to be great making up with you," Ron smiled and Hermione couldn't help it either.

"What are you saying, Ronald?" Hermione asked mockingly.

"You know what I'm talking about," Ron replied.

"I have no idea," Hermione stifled a giggle.

"Well, let me help you remember," Ron grinned and pulled Hermione close. Their lips met and all thoughts of the fighting and years of hardships were erased. Ron couldn't bare to bring out another fight until tomorrow or maybe even the next day... she couldn't know about Maley. Not yet.

"So, Ron, how was your night?" Harry smiled at his best friend sleeping in the bed adjacent from his. Ron turned as red as his hair.

"Why do you care?" Ron smiled mischievously.

"Because you didn't get home until 6:30 this morning," Harry replied rolling over to put his glasses on. The clock read 10 o'clock AM.

"Yeah, and?" Ron clasped his hands behind his head and lay back on his two fluffy pillows, he sighed in satisfaction.

"Oh my gosh, Ron… you didn't tell her, did you?" Harry asked in an accusing tone.

Ron rolled his eyes and without looking at his best friend simply said, "No."

"And you slept with her without her knowing about Maley? You are such a bastard, Ron! Why would you even do that to Hermione?" Harry sat up in bed in all his anger. He was trying his hardest not to yell. Ron didn't look that bothered by his accusations though.

"I didn't sleep with her, Harry, at least not in the way you're thinking about. She invited me into her room for a cup of hot chocolate and we fell asleep on the couch… just like old times," Ron said nonchalantly, looking as though he'd done nothing wrong.

"Then what time did you two actually 'fall asleep?'" Harry asked narrowing his eyes at his best friend who still wasn't looking at him.

"I don't know… 3 I guess," Ron shrugged his shoulders, still laying down rather comfortably.

"And she still doesn't know about Maley?" Harry tried to confirm.

"No, she doesn't know… I can't get myself to tell her… what if I just go back home and break up with Maley and Hermione would never know or have to know?" Ron asked in a serious tone, making Harry laugh pretty hard.

"You are actually that ignorant? With every minute you don't tell her about Maley the more trouble you get in… the more, in love, with her you get as this trip goes on, the more shit you have to go through when we get home in two weeks." There was silence. "And you always think the best thing is hiding how your feeling or what's going on from the people you love the most, the way you did with Fred? You're lucky he ever forgave you. If I were him I would have killed you on the spot."

"This is not about Fred and Hermione, okay, Harry? Don't bring that up again, it's over," Ron practically demanded.

"Have you even asked about the unborn child you two had when she left you? Bothered to find out how she's doing at home or who's she seeing?" Harry was still sitting up in bed and watching his red-headed best friend, feeling completely angered at Ron's stupidity.

"Well… no," Ron responded, closing his eyes. "I can't bear to know the truth… what if she really did put the baby up for adoption or kept it for herself and I'm actually been a father these last three years?"

"And why in the bloody hell are you just now asking these questions? Ron, you don't know anything about that woman and you're engaged," Harry emphasized.

"Don't remind me." Ron winced at Harry's statement.

"And I'm almost 100 percent sure that Maley has no clue who or what Hermione ever was or even is to you today, does she?"

Ron just shook his head. "Even though she knows Fred has a history before Anna," Ron sighed again. "I'm going to have to tell her, aren't I?"

"Ding ding ding, he's a winner!" Harry replied sarcastically, getting out of bed slowly. He grabbed a t-shirt from the chair by the bed and put it on with a khaki pair of shorts laying on the top of his suitcase. "You're going to tell her today and I'm going to go eat breakfast. You get ready and then you better go find her. You better tell her now before things get out of hand because I definitely hate being the bearer of bad news."

Ron nodded. "See you at breakfast."

Ron got up and went to take a shower. He discarded his pajama pants and was about to step into the hot shower when the phone rang. He looked around confused and remembered what the phone was… his dad had been obsessed with one for about three months many years back. He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist and went into the bedroom to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Ron, is Harry there?" Hermione's voice asked quickly.

"No, why?" Ron was suspicious.

"Do you have plans for breakfast?"

"No…" Ron thought.

"Okay, well be here in ten minutes, I've got something to show you." Hermione chirped, sounding incredibly happy.

"Sure, be there in ten," Ron hung up the phone and walked back into the bathroom wondering what she could possibly show him that he hadn't seen before. Ron laughed at himself. 't's nothing like that' He reassured himself. 'But a man, could hope right?'

Ten minutes later, Ron was standing at Hermione's door. His hand knocked a couple times and Hermione answered. She was wearing cute pink shorts and a white tank top. Now he thought 'I really hope it is something like that.'

Without a word, Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged her into his room, letting the hotel room door shut behind me rather loudly, leaving the two of them completely alone… again.

[Author's Note So, how was it!? What in the world could she possibly show him? You guys have figured out who Maley is now… how will Hermione react? Harry's got something up his sleeve… more coming soon! PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Xoxo Hannah Holt]